


Mami and Tim go on an Adventure

by cockabeetle, Kymopoleia



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, The pairings could change/be added later, This is actually really old and it involved a few headcanons of mine and Kym's, enjoy...?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-22
Updated: 2015-01-21
Packaged: 2018-03-08 14:36:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3212747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cockabeetle/pseuds/cockabeetle, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kymopoleia/pseuds/Kymopoleia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pre-HOO au? OCs? Shit happens?<br/>-Kym</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mami and Tim go on an Adventure

It had been a long day, and Pluto was not pleased. Upon learning his son had somehow escaped the Lotus Hotel and Casino, he'd learned that said son was kidnapped and being tested on extensively. The kid was in more pain than he could articulate, and had finally reached the point where screaming for his father and being yelled at wasn't more terrifying than what was already happening. Pluto brought the boy to Camp Jupiter, just before roll call, not that it was planned. Half the camp was already there, and Pluto handed the boy, unconscious but most certainly not dead, to the nearest healer and told the praetor to do with him as she saw fit. The other praetor, who Pluto did not care for, was watching with wide eyes.

Mami was at roll call early, like she usually was, and the appearance of the god of the underworld was surprising, and amazing, and terrifying. In his arms he'd held a boy, she couldn't tell how old, hanging there limply, like a doll. Pluto had handed him to a medic, told Reyna to do what she thought best (in different words), while Jason stared on. Mami didn't know what to do, but she knew that she wanted to know what had happened. Unfortunately, though, that would probably mean bringing him into her cohort- and she wasn't sure Hank and Nathan would even let that happen.

Pluto crossed his arms, as the praetor tried to argue with him. Or at least get the story. Pluto sighed though his nose. "If you wish to know more, ask the boy yourself. If he'll tell you. Now, I must go." And proceeded to disappear in a burst of shadows.

Mami bit her lip. Oh, this was just too strange. The big three- Pluto, Neptune, and Jupiter- had agreed not to have children years ago, but just in this camp were a son of Jupiter and a son of Pluto. She waited for Reyna, or Jason, to say what she hoped she would- she wanted him in the third cohort, and she wanted to know what his story was, and she wanted to see how everything played out. She'd been in the service for five years, she was sure that all that time counted for something.

Reyna sighed, and turned toward the cohorts, most of which had assembled while she'd attempted to talk with Pluto. "Will anyone stand for... er, what was his name?"

Mami immediately steps forwards. "I will stand for him."

Reyna glanced up, and looks around. "Anyone else...?"  
No one offered.

When Mami heard the Praetor ask for someone else, Mami did a double take, and had to bite her tongue to keep from saying anything else. Specifically, "what do you mean anyone else". She watches her cohort's centurions exchange a few quiet words, then with Jason, and she ignores the stares the others in her cohort give her. After a long pause, Hank nods. "The third cohort will accept... Whoever this is, with Mami Agapetos standing for him." Nathon takes over after that. "Mami Agapetos, do you understand what will happen if he breaks the rules?" She nods, and he turns to nod to Reyna.

Reyna waves a hand. "Once roll call is finished you may visit him in the infirmary and explain to him what is to happen. Find out his name, and anything else if you can." She turned, and began roll call in full.

Mami sighs, and steps back into her spot, ignoring the way the rest of her cohort is glaring at her, the meaning almost clear as if they were yelling- "why didn't you leave him for the fifth?".

Roll call finishes up easily enough, and before everyone knows it, it's over. Tim is starting to come to in the infirmary, the healers doing their best to help him.

Mami goes to the infirmary after removing her armor, which she had to have on for roll call. She sits down next to him, pulling out her pendant- hecate's wheel, resting on a chain she'd made several years ago to resemble the ouroboros.

Tim's eyes open slowly, and they're immediately drawn to the pendant. "3 carat gold, 2 carat chain."

Mami blinks in confusion, then looks down at it. "Oh, uh. Yeah. Hi. Can I get your name?"

"Tim. Where am I and why aren't I dead?" 

"Camp Jupiter. You aren't dead because Pluto- I'm assuming he's your father, or that you're one of his legacies- brought you here."

"He is my father, yes. I asked him to kill me. Or I tried, seems he didn't hear that part, or did this to spite me."

"Well, if you break the rules here we're both dead." Mami says, tucking the pendant back under her sweater.

Tim glances at her, squinting. "Why? What reason do you, in particular, have to die if I break rules? That makes no sense."

"I stood for you." She says simply. "Basically, I told Reyna- she's basically a queen, but not really- that I had enough faith in you that you wouldn't fuck everything up, and that I would teach you the way of things." She smiled at him. "Simple, yeah?"

Tim frowns. "You have more faith than you should. You have no reason to trust me. Would there happen to be a place I can get glasses, by chance? All I can see right now is what I assume is your hair."

Mami had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. "Yes, there's a place I can take you to get those. And, well, I'll show you around camp too."

"Hmm, Also, if you see any precious metal or stones crop up, don't touch them. Please. Just a warning." He shifts slightly, and raises his good hand to hover at his throat.

"Okay?" Her eyebrows furrow. "Is something wrong?"

"Hurts." He lifts his chin a little, exposing a collar. The skin around it is red and irritated.

Mami frowns, and moves from the chair to the bed, reaching for it with her left hand, the one encased in the gauntlet she'd made several years back, after an... Incident during a war game. "What does it do?"

He smiles. "Suppresses powers." His hand lowers. "It'll stop after a minute, it doesn't like it when I'm active."

"Suppresses-" She makes an angry noise. "Did you put this on yourself? Can I take it off? It can't be doing anything good for you, and I just have to unscrew there, and..." She hums, inspecting it more.

"I certainly didn't do this myself, I certainly didn't cut myself open or break my own bones to see how much damage I could take, either." He sighs. "I don't know how to remove it, I just wanted everything to stop."

"Let me take it off." She says, reaching down into the bag she always kept on her. 

Tim opens an eye. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"Wiser than leaving it on." She undoes the screw, then pokes around inside with a pair of tweazers. "This is interesting. Also awful, but interesting."

It'd sent a rather more powerful shock than normal through his system just before it was opened, but he didn't say anything. He simply touched his neck lightly, grimacing.

Mami cuts a few wires, the way she'd learned most of the electricians in the country ordered them. Green, blue, black, yellow, then red. There was a white wire, and a pair of bare copper wires that she didn't exactly know what to do with, but she cut them at the same time, just hoping that removing all the connectiong would help. She moves to a different panel, and finds the battery, and cuts all the wires on the opposite side from where she'd cut before. She wished she'd started here, honestly.

Tim's eyes widen a bit, and he grits his teeth, there's a shock for each wire cut, more painful than the last. He's just trying not to scream at this point.

After they're all cut, Mami tugs the battery out. "Sorry, haven't worked on wiring in a while."

Tim blinks back a few tears, and lets out a tiny noise.

Mami tosses the battery onto the side table. "This is terrifying. I can't believe someone would put this on anyone else."

"There were plenty others who had them, though none were quite of the same skillset as myself. I'm sure they're fine."

Mami worked on pulling the actual collar off, now that it was deactivated. "The bruising... Those burns... Wow. I'm no medic, but I don't think those will go away."

Tim shrugged. "Not my first scar, won't be my last."

Mami glanced at him, not so much amused as worried and sad. "What's your story, by the way?" 

Tim blinks large gold eyes at her. "Where would I even start?"

"The first interesting bit?" She shrugs. "Just trust me with this, I won't tell anyone."

"My mother's name was Jocelyn Aureo. She moved to New York City in 1929, a year after I was born."

Mami blinked. "You were born in 1928?"

"Si."

"And you're how old?"

"Fourteen, unless October 13th has passed since I left the Casino."

"Fourteen? 1928? It's 2014." She gestured around the room. "And a lot of October 13ths have passed."

"Well, I was out of time, so I don't count them. I wasn't sure what year it was, though, so thanks."

"You're welcome." She replied. "What happened after you got out of the Casino?"

"I don't remember leaving the casino, all I remember is waking up in some weird facility with a collar around my neck. It was like a prison, but more sterile."

"Probably an asylum. Mental?" Mami shrugged.

"Asylums don't have doctors that, upon learning you can drop twenty feet without breaking a bone continue to drop you from higher and higher places until your bones do break."

Mami shook her head. "I'm sorry that happened to you." 

Tim smiles. Well, it's more like the corners of his mouth lift up, nothing else moves. It's probably a little unsettling. "Not the worst thing that's ever happened."

Mami shook her head. "We need to go talk to Reyna and Jason, so you can get your probatio tablet, and then we can get you glasses, and you can tell me more. Okay?"

Tim glances at her. "Would you mind getting me a sling? I don't particularly want to walk with my hand dangling uselessly."

"It should be healed soon, we gave you ambrosia." She does get up though, and gets the sling from the medic. "Here."

Tim sits up slowly. "They did something to slow my healing, or something, but whatever."

Mami narrowed her eyes. "If I get my hands on them... Oh, I'll kill them."

Tim shrugs. "I don't see why you're so upset, they haven't affected you personally, it's not like anyone who'd know me, or even less likely care, is alive, so."

"I care, you're a person. You're a demigod, and you were tortured by them. Why shouldn't I care?" She crosses her arms.

Tim blinks. "There hasn't been precedent that any of those factors made anyone else I've met care, why should they make you?"

"Because I'm not a heartless bitch, apparently like everyone else you've met."

Tim just blinks at her. "I'm not familiar with the second term."

"Bitch?" She laughs. "It's a rude term." 

"...okay." He shakes his head, and swings his legs off the side of the bed. "So, what are we doing, again?"

"I'm taking you to Reyna and Jason, the Praetors. The leaders of the camp."

Tim nods a little. He stands slowly and glances around. "I can't tell my feet from the floor."

"I'll take you to get glasses after we talk to Reyna and Jason. Promise." She smiles reassuringly.

"How am I supposed to walk to them if I can't tell where my feet are?" 

"You can hold onto my arm, I won't let you fall."

Tim held out his good hand, waiting for her to give him hers.

Mami takes it, and squeezes it. "You'll be fine here." 

"Uh-huh."

She turns, and leads him out of the healing building. "So, tell me more about yourself. What's your relationship with your dad?"

"I've met him twice, once on my birthday to help him deliver a pair of half-siblings to that Casino I mentioned, and again when I begged him to kill me."

"So not good. Another topic?"

Tim blinked at her. "I have been out of time since 1942, I'm a bit behind on... everything, aside from some very interesting mortal doctors' practices." 

"Well, I don't know what's changed since then, except that now everything is way better. We have robots and slightly more rights."

"I didn't go to doctors very much, before the Casino."

"You went to assdoctors, there's a difference." Mami waved at one of the lares as they passed.

Tim cocked his head. "Assdoctors?" His accent was more obvious as he spoke the word, confused.

Mami giggled and patted his arm. "Yes."

"Oh, okay."

Mami took him to where they needed to be, and took a deep breath. "What's your name again? Your full name?"

"Timothy Aureo."

"The female Praetor is named Reyna, the guy is Jason." She whispers. Inside the big room, Reyna, Jason and Octavion are waiting. "And, the one with the teddy bear is Octavion." She takes a deep breath. "Hello."

Tim blinks at them owlishly, and Reyna sighs. "You got here under some rather questionable circumstances."

"Would you like me to tell you his story, or him?" Mami asks. She notices Aurum and Argentum, and smiles at them, but refrains from going to pet them.

Tim pauses, and he glances in the general direction of the dogs, squinting. Reyna glances at him. "Would you like to tell it?"

"No, grazie."

"So then I will? Alright." Mami takes a deep breath, but Jason interjects. "I think he should tell it. You'll be honest because you believe it, and I think it would be better if he did." Mami nods. She would be offended, but Tim hadn't been in Camp Jupiter more than two hours, what's to say he wasn't lying? The thought had crossed her own mind. 

Tim frowned. "I don't remember everything, but there were doctors, scalpels, and an electric collar."

Jason frowned, Octavion put a hand on his heart, and Mami bit her lip. "Do you want me to say the rest?"

"I would prefer that, si."

"Okay." Mami smiles nervously. "His name is Timothy Aureo, he was born in 1928, he has really bad eyesight, and he was in a casino ever since..." She counted on her fingers. "1942. He was taken out a while back, he doesn't know when, and then he was tortured by doctors and put in a shock collar that caused really bad bruising and burns on his neck."

Tim lifts his chin. "I hurt."

"It, wasn't pretty." Mami nodded. "And that's his story, or as much as I know." Jason looked to Reyna. 

Tim yawns, and raises his hand to rub his face, showing off a few scars on his wrist and the one on his cheek. "Sono stanco. Posso lasciare ancora?" ("I'm tired. Can I leave yet?")

"I can't understand you when you speak italian." Mami looks around the room. "I speak french and I know a bit of sign language, that's it."

Reyna blinks, frowning. Tim pauses, yawning again. "Di cosa stai parlando? Sto parlando un inglese perfetto." ("What are you talking about? I am talking in perfect English.")

Mami turns to the praetors (and Octavion). "Can I take him to a bunk? He needs to sleep. I'll show him around later."

Reyna nods, and hands her his probation tablet. "Fine. Go." 

"Thank you." Mami takes the tablet, and leaves with Tim. "Congrats, garçon italien." (Italian Boy)

"Qualunque cosa, ragazza peloso." ("Whatever, Hairy girl.")

"Pourquoi a t-il besoin d'être italien? Pourquoi ne pourrais-je pas rencontrer un gentil garçon qui parle français?" Mami laments. ("Why did he have to be Italian? Why can not I meet a nice guy who speaks French?")

"Sento figli di Venere parlano francese piuttosto fluentemente. Almeno hanno fatto nella mia giornata." ("I feel the children of Venus speak French quite fluently. Least they did in my day.")

"Mais tous les enfants de Vénus briser mon coeur, je ne peux pas traiter avec eux et leurs garçons et les filles et d'autres non spécifiques. Je veux trouver une belle demi-dieu ou un legs de quelqu'un que je ne peux vraiment passer derrière, si vous voyez ce que je veux dire!" ("But all the children of Venus break my heart, I can not deal with them and their boys and girls and other non-specific. I want to find a beautiful demigod or a legacy of someone I can really get behind, if you know what I mean! ")

"Beh, io non ho intenzione di essere di alcun aiuto, io sono rigorosamente in uomini."("Well, I'm not going to be of any help, I'm strictly into men.")

"Il me semble n'être intéressé que par des gens qui ne s'intéressent pas à moi." ("I seem to only be interested in people who do not care about me.")

"Strano, ho sempre e solo incontrare persone che mi amano. Forse è destino?" ("Strange, I only ever meet people who dislike me. Perhaps it's destiny?")

Mami snorts. "La troisième cohorte est mis en place ici, Tim. Peut-on parler anglais à nouveau?" ("The third cohort is set up here, Tim. Can we speak English again?")

"Non ho mai smesso di che parla inglese, che hai fatto." ("I never stopped speaking English, you did.")

"You're speaking italienne." Mami replies, the last word coming out in french on accident. "Italian."

Tim pauses, blinking. "Cosa? Io non sono... Oh." ("What? I'm not... Oh.")

"Oui." Mami giggles. "Italians."

Tim snorts. "I'm tired. Bite me." 

"Maybe I will. Sucer ma belle bite." (Suck my beautiful cock.)

Tim pauses, face flushing. "C-cosa?!"

Mami laughs, squeezing his hand. "In, in." She ushers him into the building, grabbing things as they go through.

Tim splutters, still blushing.

Mami passed some of her roommates- they had two empties in this room, with fifteen total beds. Hers was against the far right wall, the headboard facing the window. The empties were, luckily, the bed next to her and one in the middle. It was obvious which one she was going to put in for Tim. She sets his things on the bed, then looks him over. "Do you mind if we go get you your glasses now? I wanna get you out of those rags and bathed before," She gestures at the bed. "We're required to keep everything clean, see?"

Tim nods a little, wiping his face again. "I'm not changing where people can see, but sure."

"You can use my dividers, I'll buy you some while you're in the bath house..." She went over to the wall across from her bed, where her dresser was. There was an identical one next to it, Tim's, and there were mahogany trunks at the feet of their beds. Inbetween the closets, there was enough space for her three tri-fold room dividers (they were black, and decorated with pastels and some rigged magic to keep the sound of the rest of the room from passing through them) and a couple more. She makes a space between the rest of the room and the bed she'd claimed as Tim's, and pats his shoulder. "I'm going to hand you clothing, and I'm also going to clean off some of the blood and stuff. You aren't going to walk around in that anymore." She looks at the asylum jumpsuit in disgust.

Tim nods a little, and reaches up to unzip the front of the shirt.

Mami watches, and gauges what size he'll be. He decides he's her size, and goes to grab a purple SPQR shirt and a wet rag. She throws the shirt over her shoulder, and puts a hand on Tim's shoulder. "I'm right here." 

Tim tenses, but doesn't move.

She blinks. "You're not going to finish taking the top off?"

"S-sorry, I. The last person who stood behind me was a doctor."

"I'm in front of you, hon." She taps his nose. "And you'll be fine, I won't let them hurt you."

"I can't tell. Alright." He finishes pulling the shirt off, wincing a little as the dried blood peels at his skin.

Mami gasps, then bites her lip. "Tim." she starts wiping away the blood, giving a shaky breath when the rag turns a solid red.

Tim blinks at her. "What?"

"I'm sorry." She murmurs.

"What? What are you sorry for?" His head cocks to the side, confused.

"This. You. You've been in a lot of pain, you deserved better. I wish you'd grown up here." She gestures around herself. "I wouldn't have known you- or maybe I would've. Maybe you would have been a great centurion, or a grandfather of some legacy I might know, maybe you would have died in battle and become a Lar, and then I could've met you that way. But, Tim, you didn't deserve this much pain." She closes her eyes and shakes her head. "Sorry."

Tim blinks at her. "I had the choice to come here and fight in a war or go into the hotel and essentially cease to exist. I chose the hotel."

"And how did that end?" She opened her eyes. "That wasn't very roman of you."

"Well, seeing as I had literally no reason to join a war I knew my half-sibling was on the other side of, I decided I'd rather get out of being mistrusted and stabbed in the back entirely. Instead I'm yanked out of my safe place and dumped somewhere even worse than the fields of Punishment."

"Atleast in the war you would have died honorably." Mami protests. "Isn't that important? If you died now, wouldn't you go to Asphodel? Hell's waiting room? You could go to uh- the other one, the nicer one. Elysium?"

"I don't care if I end up in Asphodel. Mother's already there waiting for me."

"Asphodel is enormous, you could go there and spend a thousand years searching, you'd forget her before you find her."

"I'd rather try than never see her again." 

Mami's arms drop to her sides. "You're kidding me. You'd give it up, just to look for someone who died before color TV was invented, but you would rather have been shoved into Hell's time capsule than die honorably? What are you, a Greek?"

Tim's eyes narrow, and the ground rumbled. "My mother was one of two people who ever cared about me or showed me compassion. I have no idea where Kristoff would have ended up, though if I were his judge Elysium would be his destination. If I want to see my mama again, then by all rights I can see her again, gods forbid I want to see her after waiting 78 years."

"I didn't mean-" Mami groaned. "I'm just saying, you deserve a lot better, and you don't seem to want better."

"Well, I take what I get. You learn to do that quickly on the streets." 

"You'll be taking a lot then, here." Mami mumbles, going back to wiping away the blood after she uses some magic (thank you trivia, you are the best) to clean the rag.

Tim blinks at her. "Pardon?"

"Hospitality. Us. Romans. We're hospitable and will give you more than you can take." She said, finishing cleaning him up and reaching for a towel. "Lower half too."

Tim glances at her. "I am not taking off my pants where you can see."

"It's nothing I haven't seem before. You're not attracted to me and I'm not attracted to you, just think of me as a particularly handy statue."

"Th-that is not the point! You don't just undress in front of people!"

"You are going to be wearing my clothing, I'm cleaning blood off of you. It's purely nonsexual, calm down, things have changed." Mami says, dabbing at his chest with the towel. "Seriously."

Tim splutters and crosses his arms, stomping his foot. A small emerald broke its way up through the floor, not that Tim noticed.

"Just let me clean you up, I won't be looking at your naughty bits anyways. You're wearing underwear, aren't you?"

"Yes, but. You don't bare anything above the ankle, it's obscene."

She laughs. "You're joking."

"Joking? Who in hell is joking?"

"Oh- Mami wata, you're serious. You really are from the thirties. People now think back on that with thoughts of how absurd it was."

Tim stared at her as if she were speaking another language.

"Ankles and calves and thighs can be bared now. My skirt ends above my knee."

Tim stared, face flushing brightly.

She grabbed his hand and put it on her knee. "See? It's fine now. Non sexual, much cooler during the summer."

He pulled his hand away, blush spreading so his ears glowed red. He shook his head and closed his eyes.

"Everyone is more attractive now. Boys, girls, everything in between." She offered.

Tim pressed his hand to his mouth, and breathed through his nose. It seems that it was finally really sinking in, he was out of time, out of his element, he was probably having a mild panic attack.

"Calm down, Tim." Mami said, going to grab a bottle of water for him. "Drink this."

Tim took it, and sipped at it cautiously.

"Water. Clean, not carbonated, not flavored water."

"Flavored? Who makes flavored water?" He wrinkles his nose a little, stepping on the emerald from earlier and crushing it without a thought.

"You are in for a wild ride." She shakes her head.

Tim bit his lip. "I. I don't..." He shook his head, and sipped at the water again.

Mami goes and sits on his bed, searching through the stuff she grabbed. Towel, toiletries, pillowcases and pillows, a basket for everything, sheets, a sewing kit, and a box of pillow mints. "If you won't let me clean below the waist, atleast clean yourself." She hands him the rag.

Tim takes it and pauses. "I don't want you to be here while I do. I don't know where you are, but... you can still see me, can't you?"

"No. I'm not even looking at you. I'll respect your privacy if you need me to." She says, making the bed now.

Tim nods a little, and pulls off the pants, cleaning his legs. 

"...I assume you don't want me to put the pants back on..."

"Don't you dare." she almost growls, going to her closet. "You can wear my sweats."

Tim pauses, blinking.

"Sweat pants." She pulls them out- the new ones, super soft and dark grey- and crosses the space to press them into his hands.

Tim takes them, flushing brightly and quickly putting them on.

Mami looks him over as she hands him the SPQR shirt. "You don't look half bad."

Tim slips on the shirt. "So I just look full bad."

"No, you look okay. Tired. Sad. A little bit like you just had a really bad day, a little like you agreed to let your boyfriend choke you during sex but then things went bad. Want a scarf for that? And a jacket? Or just a sweater?"

"That would be appreciated, yes. And Kristoff never... Kristoff is dead and I should stop talking."

Mami goes to grab it. "I'm sorry about him, maybe you can tell me about him tomorrow?"

Tim nods a little. "He was nice, nicer than anyone else I knew at the time." There was a smile in his voice, and his eyes softened a little too.

Mami gives him the sweater, a darker purple with gold 'hecate's wheel' symbols woven into it.

Tim pulls it on, adjusting it so it wouldn't chafe against his neck badly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She pulled him into a light hug. "It'll be okay."

Tim tenses a little, but leans into her touch after a second.

"I'll be here for you. Now, let's go get those glasses."

Tim nods. "Thank you, again." 

Mami nodded. "You're welcome, I'm glad I stood for you- Oh!" she pulled back, going to the sewing kit for the string of leather cord. "Let me get that probatio tablet for you," She smiles, then presents it to him by pulling the necklace around his neck. "There."

"Huh?"

"Your probatio tablet. Now, want to borrow shoes, or go get you glasses and acquire shoes after?"

"I have shoes."

"But they are from... The outfit." She glares at it.

"No, these are mine. I wore them to school the last time I went to it."

"Are you sure?" She asks.

"Positive." 

She frowns and pushes her sleeves up. "Fine."

Tim simply stays where he is. "So, where are we going now? I assume we're going somewhere." 

"Yes. Over the river and through the woods, to get you glasses we go."

Tim snorts.

Mami takes the dividers down, and grabs his hand, fully intending on taking him to the eye people. 

Tim lets her guide him, carefully trying not to trip over his own feet.

When they get there, Mami smiles. "Hey Sansa, my friend here needs glasses, but we don't know his prescription, can you check him for me?" She asks. Sansa agrees, and sets Tim up for the test. After they get the results, Sansa shows Mami the results- which are basically this- he's nearly blind.

An assistant stares. "How did he walk here?"

"I held his hand the whole way." Mami says. "Are these right?" Sansa nods. 

Tim is sitting in the chair, looking around.

"Can I order a hundred of these?" Mami whispers to Sansa, since they'd already decided on the type of glasses, the only thing needed was the lenses.

The assistant glances up. "A hundred? How are you gonna pay...?"

"I'm in the military, so is he, he just entered today. These are required, you will be compensated."

The assistant nods. "Ah."

Mami smiles. "Thank you for understanding. Now, Tim, you would not believe how blind you are."

"I know how blind I am."

"You will never drive."

"Drive...?"

"Oh boy. Come on grandpa, they have a pair of glasses right here." She looks at Sansa. "Thank you. If you ever need a favor, the best time is during Bacchanalia."

Tim takes them and blinks. He looks around, glancing around. He sees her knees and frowns loudly.

Mami laughs. "You finally see them."

He glances up, and stares at her shoulder, frown growing deeper.

"Calm down grandpa." Mami rolls her eyes. "Lets buy you nice things, since you are now a member of the roman military."

"You're indecent."

"You're old fashioned. Move on with your life."

"You are indecent, and I am not 'old fashioned'."

"You were born before color TV." Mami replied.

Tim stared at her. "Your point?"

"Just, come with me." She makes grabby hands at him.

Tim frowns. "Fix your shirt."

"My shirt is fine." Mami narrows her eyes. "Grab my hands."

"I can walk just fine. I'm not moving until your... you're covered."

She groans. "Get up. You are not going to survive here if you keep this up."

"I will hold to my morals as long as I can, I've managed this long."

"Your morals can be kept to yourself. I don't push my beliefs onto anyone else." 

"In my day everyone had the same morals and we were all held to the same standard. No one shows anything."

"Now we all show everything and keep our morals to ourselves. Get over it, Tim. Please."

"I cannot 'get over it'. I am uncomfortable and everyone around me will know it."

"Then be uncomfortable and walk with me." She rolls her eyes and makes the grabby hands again.

"I'm not touching you until you are covered."

"I am covered. You can't see my vagina." She reaches down and grabs his hand.

He freezes, face flushing. "W-wh-" He spluttered.

"Shut up, and come with me." She practically drags him out of the shop.

Tim splutters a bit more, face burning.

She drags him to a bunch of different shops, having everything sent to their bunk in the third cohort. By the time the day is over, and it's time for her to force Tim into the baths before dinner, she's ready for a bath too.

Tim managed to calm down after a while, and tugged her shirt up to cover most of her shoulder eventually.

"You're not going to like this." Mami told him, before asking Nathan- oh thank the gods for Nathan, but mostly Mercury- to teach Tim about the baths.

"Why are you making me do it then?" Then Nathan grabs his hand, and when he's pulled into the baths, the scandalized shriek he makes is probably loud enough to be heard for a mile.

Mami goes into the female side, enjoying basking in the cool water and enjoying the view.

Tim leaves the baths, and no matter what Nathan or anyone says can make him go back in.

Mami leaves a half hour later, clean and comfortable and pretty. She'd asked someone to do her hair, and now it's the perfect mass of fluff around her head. Her bandanna is in a bow. Her boots are cleaner. She just, overall, looks better.

Tim is sitting just outside the baths, looking much the same but slightly more mussed, and Nathan is trying to coax him inside. Tim refuses.

"Tim, everything will be better after you take a bath- it's the best thing in New Rome." She says, taking his hand. "I promise."

"They are naked and I refuse."

"You have to be naked to bathe?" She shares a look with Nathan. "Just don't look where you don't want to see."

"No. You do not- I will not bathe with others in the room. I refuse."

She sat next to him. "Tim. Please. You are roman. You are in Rome. Do as we do, it will be much easier on you."

"I'm more Roman that anyone else here, I was born in Rome. I still refuse."

"You have to bathe, the sponge bath wasn't nearly enough."

"I am not going in there while there are others inside. I refuse."

"Then I'll take you at midnight, we'll use that swimsuit you are terrified of."

Tim crossed his arms, but didn't argue.

"Now, dinner." Mami said, pulling him off the bench.

Tim allows her to lead him.

The dining area is fun, lots of tables and low couches. "Wish for your food, it'll be brought." By the time she's seated, a plate of rice and jambalaya is on her table, and a cup of wine at her fingertips.

Tim sits, and immediately a plate of Brushcetta, a bowl of Cannelloni al ragu made with a wine base, and a glass of Emilia-Romagna, specifically Trebbiano, dated 1917, appeared. He looked a little startled, understandably.

Mami whistles and steals some from his plate.

Tim takes a sip of his wine, and sighs. "This tastes a lot better than I remember it being."

"That wine is just a bit older than you." She remarks, remembering his birthday.

"Yes. I used to drink wine of this vintage back with mom. I forgot how much... longer it's waited, than it had back then." He takes a bite of his antipasta, sighing.

Mami nodded, and sits back with the bowl of jambalaya. "Is there anything I can do for you? To help with that?"

Tim shakes his head, "I'm just going to have to get used to it. There's no going back, or... well, I could go back to the hotel, but that seems pointless at this juncture."

"Yeah, there's a lot that makes a lot more sense to do." She agrees. "Like staying here, and serving in the military."

"I really have no drive to serve this military. Whatsoever."

"There are benefits, though." Mami says. A whiskey glass of egg nog is whisked into her right hand as she reaches for it. "The pay? The camraderie? The parties? Amazing."

"I rather doubt money works now as it worked when I... er... back in my day. I'm not good at making friends, and I'm even worse at parties."

"There's plenty of people here like that. Everyone gets better."

Tim frowns. "I rather doubt that one, nothing good ever lasts."

"Varying stages of good, then?" Mami asks.

Tim simply stared at her.

"It starts out pretty bad." She clarifies. "It's horrible, but then you make a friend, or you make a mistake and have sex with someone, and then you have lots of friends, and then you might retire, and then go to college and make a home with someone, then who knows? It's just not always like this. It's not always your first day, is what I'm saying."

"Not counting Kristoff, who was as close to a saint as a mortal has ever gotten, I have never made a friend in my life and there has never been any point in my life where the good outshown the bad. Perhaps for normal people what you say is true. With my luck and my track record, I am more likely to die within the hour than to enjoy my time here."

"You've been here three hours." Mami replies. "Three hours, alright? You're three times less likely to die."

"Within this particular hour." He clarifies. He takes a bite of his pasta, frowning. "I don't see why you're trying so hard. As I understand it, so long as I do not break rules you do not risk death. Why are you so involved?" 

"I'm interested." She says.

"Interested? In what?"

"You. I saw you come in with Pluto, and I wanted to know your story. And, because you're not a horrible person, I think I want to be your friend."

Tim blinked. "Che cosa?" ("What?")

She stole another bite from his plate. "Still don't know italian."

Tim splutters a little. "Amico? Tu ... Vuoi essere amici?" ("Friend? You... Want to be friends?")

Mami nodded, stealing another bite. "Uh huh. Your own friend, right in the twenty-first century."

Tim blinks a few more times. "Merda. Non so come affrontare questo."("Shit. I do not know how to deal with this.")

Mami giggled. "Just, let me steal more of your pasta, let me buy you things, and let me learn more about you."

"Sembra piuttosto ... unilaterale." He pauses. "Merde." ("It seems rather... one-sided." "Shit.")

"Then figure out what being my friend would mean to you, and let me know what you want me to do, and what you want to do." She smiles.

Tim pulls his glasses off, and runs a hand over his face. "Sono troppo vecchio per questo." ("I'm too old for this.")

"Yeah." She agrees. "You keep freaking out about skin showing. And you scared half the guys in the bath."

"E 'indecente!" ("It's indecent!")

"It is not." Mami shakes her head as a jello shot is swept into her hand.

Tim finishes his wine, another glass of the same vintage appearing. "Io invece credo che lo conosco meglio di te! Rispetto vostri anziani!" ("But I think I know it better than you! Respect your elders!")

Octavion had gotten up, and glances over as he hears this coming from the new probatio. He doesn't say anything, but he hears.  
Mami rolls her eyes and moves so she's curled up on the couch. "Hush, grandpa."

"Sei impossibile! Non capite il concetto di rispetto? Forse sarà una delle mie condizioni." Tim stamps his foot, glaring. ("You are impossible! Do you not understand the concept of respect? Maybe it will be one of my conditions.")

Octavion snorts, unintentionally hovering. Mami boops Tim's nose.

Tim splutters.

"So, I'm working tomorrow. You'll be with me, obviously. We're going to have get you armor first, that's the one thing I was putting off." She says.

"I can't work with armor. I'm barely capable of supporting my own weight."

"We have lightweight armor. You won't even know it's there." Mami smiles.

Tim looks at her. "I don't think you understand. I mean I can barely walk under my own power, adding weight would not only slow me down but reduce what little combat ability I have to uselessness."

"We can figure something out." Mami replies.

Tim sighs, and eats a bit of his pasta. "Whatever."

"What weapon do you use?" She asks.

"I've used a dagger, a sword and a diamond."

"Remind me to get those stories?" She asks. "So, small pointy things. We have plenty of those."

Tim shrugs. "Bludgeons work as well."

She nods. "Agreed. I usually use a gladius, myself."

Tim hums.

"So, is there anything you might want to see or know about?" Mami asks, setting her bowl aside.

Tim sips at his wine, thinking. "hmm."

Mami leaned back, and pulled a sketchpad out of her purse, the one with Trivia and Vulcan's symbols on it.  
"Can I sketch something?"

Tim glances up. "Why would I stop you?"

She smiled at him, and did a vague body sketch of him. She added the glasses, and scribbled down next to it- "essentiel". Then she started doodling possible designs for armor- she knew he'd have to stick to the same style, but she was hoping they could incorporate more of the magic mesh they used than normal.

Tim finished his pasta, and drank another glass of wine.

Mami smiled at Tim. "I have some ideas."

"About?"

"The armor." She added a doodle of his sword. She wondered if he'd be allowed to do anything fun with his.

Tim hums. "Good luck."

"Well, you'll see. Okay?" 

Tim nods.

"So, what do you like to do? Other than boys, and sad child of Pluto things."

"I'm good at metal work"

"Metal work? Like armor, or art?" She asked. "And don't tell Ramira I said that."

Tim reached down and produced a piece of silver, molding it into a few different shapes. "Metal work."

Mami grinned. "Ooh, that's gotta be fun." 

Tim shrugs, and drops the silver, crushing it under his heel.

Mami goes back to sketching, adding a silver ring to everything. "What's your favorite color?"

"I look good in gold."

"You look good in purple too." She pokes his shoulder.

"Only darker purples."

She tugs the sweater down to show him the SPQR shirt. "Mhm."

"You have not seen me in lilac, and I hope you never will."

"I hope I do." She scribbled something down about it.

Tim shook his head. "No."

"Trust me on this one," Mami says. "I want to see you in a lot of different ways. What's your opinion of Bacchus?"

"I don't have much of an opinion."

"Well, you're gonna get one soon."

"Che cosa....?" ("What....?")

"Bacchanalia's coming up, ever heard of it?"

"No...?"

She grinned. "You're about to meet my favorite holdiay."

"I have an impending sense of doom."

"It has alcohol and togas. Oh, we have to get you one those. And I need a new one, my old one got trashed."

"...okay..."

Mami giggled, and had a new glass of wine brought to her. She notices Dakota, the centurion from fifth cohort, shoot her a jealous look across the room- none of Bacchus' kids were allowed his sweet lifeblood.

Tim drinks his fourth glass of wine, frowning.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

Tim shrugs.

Reyna and Jason call the attention to themselves, and give a few announcements. The usual, no one under fourteen allowed to enter the Bacchanalia situation, and to bring cider to the winter solstice picnic. Why, they would not explain, but Octavion could be seen smiling.

Tim blinked, and glanced over. Dakota took the opportunity to announce that it was also the Bacchanalia where only Wine would be provided and permitted, as a nod to Bacchus.

Mami woke Tim up early, three hours before roll call, and brought him to a place to get custom armor. "Okay, are you ready?"

Tim frowns, and wipes his face. "Will we not go anywhere if I say no?" 

"Nope." She pops the p.

Tim huffs, and adjusts his glasses. "Uh-huh."

"I didn't sleep last night." She admits.

Tim snorts. "Couldn't tell."

"I was organizing your stuff. You drool when you sleep."

Tim crosses his arms, and pouts.

"It's cute, really." She smiled at him and squeezed his hand, which she'd insisted on holding.

Tim sighs. "Shush."

"You're adorable. If you ever had your picture taken, you're the person people would wish they could go back in time to kiss on the nose."

Tim stares at her blankly. "Were you dropped on your head as a child?"

"No, but I do have access to something you don't, sometimes. When I'm at my parent's house." She grins.

"Yes, you have parents and a home. Wonderful."

"No, not that. The internet."

"Well you also have those things, along with whatever an internet is."

"Well, right now you have me, you have a home, you have a family-but-not-really in the cohort, and you have a city."

"It isn't a home unless you feel wanted and enjoy it there. I have nowhere that fits that criteria, even if the other things you've mentioned are true."

"Is there anything I can do to help? Anything you need?"

Tim shrugged. "Nothing comes to mind."

She nods. "Okay. Well, anything you need, talk to me."

Tim nods.

Mami booped his nose. "You ready?"

Tim blinked, pulling back a little from the contact. "Uh."

"I keep asking you that and forgetting that you're not ready."

Tim frowned, and glanced at her. "I rather think I won't be 'ready' any time soon, if you want to go ahead it should be fine."

"We're here." She points at the store in front of them. "It doesn't open for another five minutes."

"Okay."

Mami leans against the door. "Is there anything you're looking forwards to?"

Tim thinks a moment. "I've always looked forward to meals, they were always a big thing before."

Mami smiled. "Well, luckily, they're a big thing here too. We got the couch to ourselves last night, but that's a rare thing."

Tim nods a little. "Okay." 

"Plus, in a couple months, you're going to start getting a work schedule seperate from mine. Not all the time, but some of the time."

Tim nods, as if any of that made sense to him.

"And when you're off probatio?" Mami laughs. "It'll be so much fun. And after Bacchanalia, we're going to do a war game."

Tim nods again.

"And you like wine, there'll be more wine there than people. It'll be fantastic."

Tim smiles. "I'm Italian, I grew up drinking wine." 

"Well, this is New Rome, and you'll never stop drinking it here."

"Excellent."

"You know, you could pass for a son of Bacchus." She says.

Tim shrugs. "You saw my father already."

"If he weren't your father but you were still a demigod, or a legacy, I mean."

Tim shook his head. "If my godly parent were anyone but Pluto, I would most certainly be dead, or at least looking my age."

"Yeah, you would have been happier too." She poked him in his ribs. "Way happier."

Tim shrugs, there's no argument here. There wouldn't have been a curse, either.

"But your mom had fun with the god of the underworld and everything under the surface of the earth, and she made you, and everything worked out so you can come with me into this shop." The worker opens the doors, and Mami pulls Tim in.

Tim really had no words to respond to that, and was mildly thankful he didn't have to.

Mami talked to the worker, who started to measure Tim. She smiled encouragingly at him.

Tim frowned, keeping still.

Mami waited, then nodded to the worker. "I was thinking something light for him, something he can still move in. Okay?"

The worker nods, and continues taking measurements. Tim's frown deepens, but he doesn't say anything.

The worker moves to a different part of the shop, and Mami lets them pick out a few things. "This one is fifteen pounds." He says, motioning for Tim to come forwards.

Tim walks over, not bothering to keep the pout off his face. He doesn't want armor. He doesn't particularly need it, no one will be getting close to him if he has anything to say about it.

The worker puts it on Tim, carefully doing the straps. "How's that feel? Try moving your arms."

Tim moves them, and can't help the annoyed sound when his movement is impeded.

The worker nods. "No to that then." He undoes the armor, then starts on another one. "Twelve and a half pounds. Try moving your arms."

The movement wasn't as impeded, and it wasn't as heavy, but Tim's annoyance didn't go down in the slightest.

The worker sighed. "Nine pounds." He fitted the next one onto Tim. "Try again?"

Tim's movement was barely impeded, and this would probably be the best he could get. He still didn't like it and wanted nothing to do with anything here.

"There is one more that I have." The worker said. "But it is more magic than armor, and only works if your mind is focused on the battle. Would that be ideal?"

Tim frowned. "Possibly."

Mami bit her lip. "Try it on." The worker sets the nine pound armor in a seperate pile, then puts the six pounds of armor onto Tim. "Try moving?"

Tim moves his arm, and his movement isn't impeded, but. He's rather dubious about how much help this will be, he doesn't have the best track record with fights.

Mami smiles at the worker. "We'll take them both. What about other armors?" And so the trip goes on, until Tim has all the proper armor components. They make one other stop, to get new togas. "You'd be best with black and gold or silver." She says, hand on his shoulder.

"Gold. Silver is for Hades."

"All right, then look through the racks, I always have so much trouble looking for mine, because I'm a legacy."

Tim snorts. "There's more likely to be something for you than me, there hasn't been a child of Pluto since 1939."

"Black is always in." She rolls her eyes.

Tim huffs, but searches.

Mami manages to find a dark purple toga with a bronze hem, and grabs a new Vulcan brooche. She also decides halfway through the trip to grab a Greek chiton- they were old fashioned, but old was coming into style again. It had three layers, and a bunch of slits on the different layers. Something about movement. There were more slits on the bottom layer (black) but the slits on the top layer went higher, showing off the red second layer through the purple top layer. That combined with a simple bronze cord and two brooches (Trivia and Vulcan), and a pair of sandals, and she had a gorgeous outfit. Mami goes to check on Tim, everything held easily in her right hand.

Tim had eventually found a black and gold toga, but it was taller than he was.

Mami bopped his nose when she got to him. "Any luck?"

Tim motioned to the one he'd been staring at. "This is it. I seem to be a bit short."

"Maybe we could try something other than a toga?" Mami suggests. "There's tons of nice stuff on the other side of the store."

Tim glances at her. "Such as?"

"I don't exactly know the names for them, they're just more elaborate. Come on." she dragged him deeper into the store.

Tim sighed loudly, but allowed himself to be led.

Mami showed him another set of designs, smiling. "More fabric, see?" They looked similar to long dresses, and you were supposed to wear another length of fabric with it. Those, and sandals, and you were good. Maybe add a brooch or two, depending on your parentage.

Tim hums, and looks them over.

Mami finds the right sized under-piece, and holds it up to Tim. "The gold goes with your complexion nicely."

"Told you." He picks a black over-piece with funeral gown-like designs.

Mami rolled his eyes, and picked up a black one with simple black and silver swirls at the edge. "This maybe? Funerals aren't exactly fun."

Tim shrugged. "Last one I was at was a pretty fun party."

She rolled her eyes again. "Please? It's bacchanalia, it's supposed to be way more fun than everything else."

"It's my toga, and Silver is still for Hades."

"Well, he's still your dad, roman or Greek." Mami puts a hand on her hip. "Just like Hecate and Trivia, and Vulcan and Hephaestus." Saying the Greek names felt weird to her. 

Tim frowned. "It's not the same. Hades is strictly death, Pluto is wealth as well."

Mami blinked. "And? So theres a slight difference in the job description."

"There are differences in his personality and appearance." Tim adjusts his glasses, frowning. "I am a son of Pluto. Not Hades."

"Fine, whatever, jeez." Mami put the one she'd been holding back.

Tim sniffs disdainfully. "I've met children of Hades. They would take as much offense to what you just insinuated as I did."

Mami just rolled her eyes and took the clothing from him. "Now, anything else you want from here?"

Tim shrugged, offense forgotten. "No." 

"No sandals?" Mami blinks. "No brooches?"

"No."

She nodded and went to pay for it, already planning on making him a brooch.

Tim wandered outside, and simply began playing with a nugget of Gold he 'found'. 

Mami came outside, and started to walk with Tim. She sent the bags to their bunks, except for the armor, which she put in the armory in a spot next to her own. Then they went to breakfast, curling up in the couches.

Tim had eventually flattened the nugget into a disk, and was now playing a little with a gem.

Mami yawned as a cup of hot chocolate was swept into her hand.

Tim was given a glass of wine, and he took a sip, sighing.

Mami leaned against the couch. "If I take a nap, would you wake me up in ten minutes?"

Tim glanced over. "Perhaps. What do we have to do in ten minutes?"

"Nothing, that's as much time as I can spare..." She curls up on the couch, closing her eyes. "Ah, yeah."

Tim hums, and sips his wine. 20 minutes pass before he prods Mami awake.

Mami groans, and when she sits up her hair is flat on one side. "Huh?"

"You slept through my first few attempts at waking you. Good morning." He sips at his wine, he'd also added a bit more to the gold and began molding it into a little statue.

"Wha's the time?" she asks.

Tim shrugged. "I lost my pocket watch."

Mami puzzled over that for a minute, looked around the room, then grabbed his hand and jumped up.  
"Fuckshitno" she yelped, running for the armory.

Tim nearly trips, and yelps.

They get to the armory, and Mami gets dressed up in record time. She also puts Tim's armor on, then pulls him to the area where the roll is called. Like always, Mami is first, after the praetors. She smiles breathlessly at them, and holds up her arms. She manages a breathy "yes"- she always gets there first.

Tim is more than a little confused, he'd been unconscious this time yesterday, but the startled "Si!" when his name was called was easy enough.

Mami sits down in her spot, knowing she has been there perfectly enough times to warrant this.

Tim glances around, startled and confused.

"We all gather here for roll call. First day I was here, I got the time wrong and showed up three hours early- and then I never stopped showing up early." She clarified. "Every day. First one."

Tim blinks again, and nods slowly. "Bene."

"Sit with me." She pays the ground next to her. "Please?"

Tim sits, glancing around. "...I left my statue on the table. Can we get it after this is done?"

"You can go get it now, there's an hour left. I just need to stay." Mami smiled at him. "Bring me something?"

"What do you want? All I've been getting is wine."

"I don't care, just get me something you like." Mami yawned again, and Jason and Reyna drifted closer. Sometimes they talked to her. 

Tim left, quickly grabbing his statue and a small roll, something like what his mother would make.

Mami talked to the two praetors for a moment, mostly small talk, but she was also asked about Tim. She told them about how him being from the 1930's was interesting and strange.

Tim showed up, handed her the roll, and began playing with his statue, molding it into a more concrete shape, that of his mother.

Mami ate the roll, eyes closed as she thinks about everything going on and everything planned.

Tim continued molding, creating in perfect detail what he remembered of his mother, her high cheekbones and up-turned nose, which he shared, and the soft eyes and curly hair.

Mami watched him. "Who're you making?"

"Mama."

"I'm assuming you don't mean me." She says. "I'm sorry."

Tim glanced at her, before adding a little touch to give her a slight smile, just barely there. "She's been dead a long time, I got used to it then."

"Oh." Mami nodded. "I understand."

Tim smiles. "It wasn't that bad, I was pretty grown-up for an 8 year old."

~o~

Tim should have known not to trust the girl(whose name he could not remember, he couldn't even remember if he'd ever asked for it) when she told him this would be fun. He couldn't even drown his sorrows, because of his ability to just drink wine from morning to night to morning again with barely any effects from the alcohol. It was distressing, and if he was mumbling to himself in Italian it was no one's business but his own.

Octavian adored bacchanalia because it was the one holiday he let himself have. And when he and Michael Kahale weren't there together, he found someone else to drink with. He sees the newest legion recruit, and collapses next to him. "Octavian."

Tim glances up. "Mi scusi?" He was rather out of it, and honestly he'd need to stop and think a bit before he could translate anything anytime soon. But he really didn't feel like it, instead taking another sip of his... was it twentieth? twenty-first? glass of wine.

"My name is Octavian." He replies back in Italian.

Tim blinks, and then he smiles. "Tim. Pleasant to meet you."

Octavian smiles back, eyes crinkling at the corners. "Why drink alone?"

"There are /naked people/ doing /things/ that I don't want to think about and none of this alcohol is strong enough to make me forget anything and there are too many /naked people/."

"Ah." Octavian nods. "They are half the fun. The alcohol is all the fun, what do you need?"

Tim glances at him. "Fun? I see no fun. Only depravity and indecent things happening in public places and I would rather be anywhere but here. But /she/ made me come and at least the wine is of good vintage."

"That is the point of the event, though. Depravity and indecency... You could say it is the one time we Romans let go. The best decision is to let go too." Octavian advises.

"'Let go'. People keep telling me to let go, but has it ever occurred to anyone that maybe the only thing keeping me from a breakdown or two is holding to the few things that fall under familiar? I'm in a new area, new time, the least I can have is my feelings."

Octavian looks Tim over, and takes a sip from his wine. He isn't sure how much he's had already, but he knows he would like a lot more. "I didn't mean that. I meant taking a break from thinking. If that means drinking, go ahead. If that means fucking your sorrows away, go ahead. If it means breaking down crying, go ahead. The event is about letting go and forgetting and madness and drinking and relaxing, it's hard to relax if you're too high strung and focused to forget." Octavian doesn't know where that nugget of wisdom came from, but he likes it.

Tim frowns. "I can't do that, not with only wine. And trying to let go in those other ways wont work, I don't have..." He trails off, not knowing how to phrase it. Safety? Trust? Something else? He doesn't know the words.

"Then get something stronger." Octavian shrugs. "Wine is provided, yes, but most have more in flasks." Octavian pulls out a flask of his own. "Want some? It's strawberry flavored"

Tim shook his head. "I'd rather not, all thanks to you. I have a rather high tolerance, so it wouldn't really affect much. Thank you, though." Tim smiles a little, and takes another sip of the wine.

"You have high tolerance, even with absinthe?" Octavian asked.

Tim thinks a moment. "Absinthe? That sounds familiar, but nothing specific is coming to mind. I do know I can drink certain types of Vodka, even the strongest, for hours before getting very drunk, though." Tim admits a little, frowning.

"Absinthe is..." Octavian sighs happily. "Best way to get blind drunk within five minutes."

Tim hums, and shrugs. "Best idea I've heard, tonight. Maybe I'll try it."

Octavian opens the flask to sip it. "And there is me having some, so you know it will not kill you."

Tim paused, before shrugging. He hadn't really thought about the threat of poison, mostly because it was a fairly subtle form of assassination, and most people who would want him dead had been far from subtle. He takes the flask, and takes a sip. He blinks a little, at the strength of the alcohol, but it would take a bit more than a few sips to really get him drunk, not that the amount of wine in his system would hamper that goal any.

Octavian leans back, nursing his wine. "What are your intentions here, in New Rome?"

Tim shrugs, frowning. "I didn't exactly want to come here, I really don't know what to expect, or want."

Octavian had considered that option and dismissed it. "Really?"

"I asked father to kill me. Obviously that hadn't worked."

Octavian frowned. "Your father is Pluto, yes?

Tim nods.

"And you asked him to kill you, and he refused to do so?"

"Well, to be honest I wasn't very coherent at the time, but I remember screaming for him to end me. There aren't many alternate interpretation to that statement. "

"The legion's military has some deaths. All honorable, all honorable." Octavian assures him.

"I don't really care about honor, I just wanted everything to stop." Tim shrugs.

Octavian doesn't know how to respond to that, and takes another sip of the wine.

Tim takes a sip of his own wine, sighing. "Everything was simpler in the hotel." He says, almost to himself.


End file.
